Presently there is a need to quickly and efficiently remove caps or stops from cylindrical (e.g., round or elliptical) objects such as test tubes. Manual removal of caps is both painful and labor intensive, and also yields poor results. Current automatic cap removal methods are expensive because they rely on complex machinery that requires large actuating forces with respect to gripping force. Further, current removal methods do not provide for self-centering of the test tube, making cap removal automation a difficult endeavor.